Madhya Pradesh government mulls ‘right to water’

Bhopal: In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday decided to bring in a legislation in the coming monsoon session of the Assembly recognising access to water a human right.

Chief Minister Kamal Nath issued a directive to authorities concerned to draft a legislation on Right to Water “aiming at ensuring adequate water for every person in the urban areas” in the state, a spokesman of the state government told this newspaper here. The ensuing monsoon session of the house may see passage of the legislation, official sources said.

Madhya Pradesh would be the first state in the country to recognise access to water a human right if the house ensures passage of the proposed legislation in the ensuing monsoon session.

A senior officer of the department indicated that every household in urban MP would get pipe water connection and supply of at least 55 liters of drinking water would be ensured to each family daily.

The state government was mulling to undertake water conservation measures like renovation and preservation of traditional water sources such as ponds and water bodies in urban areas.

It may be recalled that Human Right to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) was recognised as human right by the United Nations General Assembly on July 28, 2010.

The HRWS “obliges” governments to ensure that people can enjoy clean, available, acceptable, accessible, and affordable water and sanitation.

Noted water conservation expert of the country, Dr Rajendra Singh, famously known as ‘Water Man’ of India, described the decision by MP government to recognise access to water by people as human right through legislation a “great initiative”. He, however, demanded the state government to enlarge the scope of the proposed legislation.